Identity Crisis
by GuardianValkyrie
Summary: After Dick is forced to give up his mantle as Robin, he turns to the ex-Kid Flash for advice, who is struggling with his own grief. Now that Ms.Martian and Superboy have gone missing, Nightwing must lead the team while Wally must re-discover his place.
1. Civilian

Civilian

Dick silently shuffled through the streets in his civilian clothes late at night. His sunglasses had remained folded neatly in the neck of his shirt and loosely jangled around with every step he took, his eyes focused on his sneakers as if there were something interesting in them.

_It's time for you to give up the mantle as Robin._

Give up the mantle as Robin? It had been his life ever since he was nine. Ever since his parents died in the accident and discovered the identity of Batman, he had been Robin. It was even before Batman that he acquired the name from his mother! How was he going to hang up an identity? It was who he was! Would Batman be forced to hang up his mantle because Dick said so? Or anyone else in the league? He had just turned eighteen and along with the happy birthdays he received, the least expected one of all was when Batman pulled him aside before patrol and told him that it would be his final night as the boy-wonder. After all, he was no longer a boy.

He sighed through his nostrils and saw a familiar face walking through the streets of Gotham. _Walking_. The twenty one year old ex-speedster had never quite gotten over the fact that doing what he loved the most was killing him. Literally. Wally looked over at Dick from across the street and stopped, lifting his head up from its hanging position and giving a small sigh before donning a smile, his hands still shoved deep in his pockets. Dick had called him over from Central and knew that it'd be a while before he'd get to see his friend—something he wasn't used to. If anyone had a right to complain about hanging up a mantle, it was Wally. Dick quickly glanced down both sides of the street and crossed it, meeting up with his friend. Wally casually slung an arm around his neck of the younger man in a brotherly fashion and shook his head. "Life sucks, huh?"

"Yep…" Dick nodded in agreement, the corner of his lip pulling up in a small smile of disappointment. It hadn't taken Wally long to tell Robin and the rest of the Titans about hanging his mantle, but it was still Robin he told first after two weeks of sulking and resting. But he was there. There was a full support group behind him and even a going away party as he pulled completely away from the Titans. It was the hardest decision of his life but he was reassured that there would be people to take over his place in central. It was mainly Barry who had made him feel secure enough to have hang up his suit and call it quits. Without him being Flash, he would have continued to stay Central's superhero. Without Flash, Kid Flash would die a little bit each time there was a bad guy that needed to be dealt with. Without Flash, Kid Flash would kill himself for the sake of others. Barry had to step up to the plate and take over Wally's missions whenever he could but without telling Wally once in a while if it became too tough, he would let the Titans take care of the problem. If Wally knew, he'd have a fit and don his yellow and scarlet suit and return to the Titans, and Barry wouldn't hear any of it.

"You hungry?" Dick questioned them as they stopped in front of a burger joint, smiling wryly as he looked at the dim neon sign and inhaled the scent of fries and meat. Wally cracked a smile from ear to ear, almost painfully so, and clutched onto his stomach. "I'm not so hungry all the time anymore, but let's head in anyways. I could go for one of Gotham's burgers from one of its many holes in the walls." Dick felt a twinge of pain and gave a small nod. "We don't have to, you know…"

"I want to." Wally gave him a supporting smile and guided him by the shoulder inside the restaurant and sat down at a booth. Wally had leaned back and looked outside, bringing one leg over the knee of the other and lacing his arms behind his head. "What do you plan on doing now since…you know…?" Dick sighed and ran his hand through his hair, turning his attention outside to the tops of the buildings, almost sure that Batman was watching. It would not have been unusual if he was. After all, his protégé was just booted from his job and he ripped away his identity, it was almost normal for him to have a negative reaction of some sort. However, if he was with Wally—laid back Wally that had already coped with hanging up his uniform—he would be alright. He would have left the two of them alone for a much needed man-to-man discussion without Dick's overseer. "I don't know…I can't imagine my life not fighting crime and defending the world and all, but as what?"

"You can always take on a new identity." Wally held his fingers over his eyes as if they were a mask. He was trying to help in the only way he knew how and earned a small chuckle from him. "And why didn't you? You can still fight, you know."

"You're the one without powers, Dick. You fought under the mantle not having a single super power. I have…had…super speed. I relied on that. It's a harder transition, believe me. Black Canary tried to keep me to close combat and I just couldn't do it without my speed. You can, Dick." The younger male was surprised by his sudden outburst. Wally was…envious. It was written all across his face. He wanted nothing more than to help fight crime beside his favorite superhero of all time and he was denied that right all because of his disease. He wanted to fight crime with every fiber in his body and every fiber in his body was screaming NO. And he had to listen. The newly retired hero felt a twang of pain and let his shoulders slump. Wally never really spoke about how it bothered him to not be Kid Flash anymore. He was always so...silent about it."So you can't be Robin anymore, so what! You've got the abilities to be someone else! So what Batman took away your mantle as Robin, you really think he's going to take away whatever else you want to be? I don't know, be Underwear man or something and just fight!" Dick looked up at him (he had bolted upright sometime during his rant) and saw his face turning a bright red color out of anger. Wally was always one that could never keep his emotions quite in check, but that was what he truly admired deep down inside—the ability to freely express himself without a care in the world. And on that note, Dick began laughing and gave a few nods. "Underwear man? Come on, Wally, even you can think of something better than that!"

"Well, it's an idea at least." Wally sat back down and saw a waitress warily eyeing them, two menus in her hands. "Hey, lady, we're starving here!" She hurriedly rushed over to them and placed a menu on their tables, taking out her notepad and pen. "Two cokes and a huge plate of fries!"

"Add two burgers with the works." Dick added, winking at Wally. The ex-speedster knew that meant that he was picking up the tab. With a grin, he held up two fingers. "Two milkshakes as well!"

"Right. I'll be right back." She gave a nod and walked off, leaving the two ex-superheroes together once again. Wally smiled and scratched his head a bit, leaning over the table a bit and pointing over at Dick in a fatherly fashion Dick never knew he had in him. "You're better than that, Dick. You need to just get yourself together a bit. Bats doesn't want you to sulk like this. He wants to see if you can do things on your own. You're an adult now."

"You are too and you're still ordering shakes like you were still kid-" He stopped himself mid-sentence and slapped his forehead. It was too easy to forget he wasn't Kid Flash anymore. They had lost contact for so long because of the lack of abilities that it was almost a chore to see each other. Usually it'd be no problem for Wally to run over to Central and they'd have a casual meet for a few minutes, joke around, and bam, Wally would be back in Central without a care in the world and knowing that he had more than enough time in the night to make his rounds and ensure that everything was a-okay. Not so much over the past few years. It got to the point where online gaming would be interrupted because Robin would have duties to perform without Wally. Robin would have a mission with the Titans. Robin would have a mission with Batman. Robin would have a Wayne banquet he had to be there for. And Wally West would be left in Central—forgotten and treated like just another civilian. No praise for the ex-speedster. No recognition. No thanks. Nothing. A hollow life away from the only thing that really made him notorious for who he was and what's worse, away from his best friend. "Anyways...how have you been?"

"Change of topic, huh? Well, nothing much, I guess. College life is boring. Tell me about a few missions you've been on! What's the coolest one so far!" Dick grinned from ear to ear and began to recount his tales as Robin, forgetting the fact that he was no longer Robin and just Dick Grayson.

"You think they'll be okay?" A familiar scarlet-clad superhero stood on top of a building with the Dark Knight. They had both lingered in the shadows and had grown slightly agitated that Dick had sensed them. "They'll be fine. Let's go."

"Look, Bruce, maybe you should talk it over with Dick. He's going to go through an identity crisis like Wally did. Believe me, it was hard. The kid would forget to wake up in the morning to make the bus because he forgot that he couldn't use his powers to make it to school on time." Batman took a final glance at Dick and Wally and spun around, reaching for his grappler and holding it firmly in his hand. "Bruce…"

"I'll talk to him in a few days. Right now, he needs to talk to Wally."

"Yeah…it's the first time in a while he's gone outside his apartment too." Flash let out a few chuckles and watched Batman take off to complete his rounds. In a blur of red and yellow, the man took off back to Central to finish his own rounds.

**AN: It ain't long, but it'll do for now. If I learned anything in college, it's quality, not quantity. And I'm tired. Adieu! Until next chapter!**


	2. Connections

Connections

Wally's eyes snapped open in the middle of the night, his senses on full alert. He swung himself out of bed and grabbed the baseball bat he kept near his bed. He's been playing the game for a while out of sheer boredom and had come to love the game, but also the bat sat beside his bed because it gave him a sort of reassurance. If anything happened to him in the middle of the night while, he had some sort of protection. How long it had been that way, he didn't know, he just felt somewhat safer with it around. It was a long shot from being able to easily beat them up with his powers, but it was something nonetheless. He stood in the same position for a few solid minutes and sighed, lowering his guard. It had been happening only too often since he had lost his powers. Everything became super-tuned and it was only his sense of paranoia kicking in. He set his bat against his nightstand and sat on the edge of his bed, running his hand through his hair. His stomach growled for food but he chose to ignore it. There was no need for a midnight snack if he wasn't Kid Flash. There'd be no need to have to run to burn off the calories like he used to. He sighed once more and grabbed two fistfuls of bright orange hair and stared at the ground.

"_Don't worry guys, I got it!" Kid Flash was feeling off for a while but he never let anyone know. He was a complainer, everyone knew, but about stupid stuff. Never anything that actually mattered to him about him. It was all new. He made a mad dash towards the purse nabber, his arm stretched out to grab the purse held tightly under his arm. However, it wasn't a stumble that made him fall over, rather, it was his vision that suddenly darkened for a moment, his arm before him as if to grab the bag but it never happened. He heard Robin calling out his name and then Starfire and suddenly, he was no longer chasing the bad guy but felt the cool asphalt beneath him press into his boiling face. 'Not now, not now…' He thought to himself as he writhed in pain, holding onto his sides as his throat burned, eyes wide with pain. Robin instantly flew to his side and tried to assess what was wrong with his friend but his mind was drawing blanks. "KF! KF! What's wrong!" Kid Flash's mouth hung open uselessly as his vision dimmed in and out of focus, vaguely seeing Robin, and pain wracking through his body. "KF!"_

"_Hitting…a wall…" He managed to say before he managed to black out._

Wally shook his head at the distant memory and frowned. What had happened was that his disease had taken a turn for the worse at that moment there and the only thing he could be grateful about was that it didn't happen in the middle of a fight, just a chase. "Still collecting mementos, huh?" Wally jumped to his feet and saw his white curtains fluttering in the cool breeze, Artemis looking over his collection of souvenirs from all the bad guys he had caught, her hands trailing over the Cheshire's mask and picking it up with both hands, slinging her bow over her shoulder. Her figure was barely visible in the crescent moon's rays, but Wally knew that many of her traits had been taken over from her sister unconsciously, including the ability to meld into shadows. She set down her sister's mask and picked up a gold trophy, smiling slightly. "Science award, huh?"

"Yep. What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be out-"

"Dick sent me. Told me about what happened between him and Batman. It's…pretty tough…"

"That explains him, but why did he send you in the first place?" She rubbed the back of her neck and sighed, "he needs your help."

"_My_ help? Why don't you just do it? Or the rest of the Titans? Or anyone else from the Junior Justice League we had going a while ago?" She looked over at him and noted his bitter expression. She put down his trophy and she frowned while shaking her head. "Wally, you're an idiot. How can you say no?"

"I have no superpowers and-"

"Idiot, your brain thinks at a super speed. Dick doesn't have any superpowers either and neither do I. I'm just a girl with a bow and a few special arrows and Dick has acrobatics skills like whoa and a utility belt."

"And I _had_ super speed, Artemis. Keyword here is _had._ And unless I don't want to die in the most painful way you can possibly imagine, I suggest you find someone else to help him." Artemis visibly sighed and began walking towards him. Wally tried to stare her down, wanting to win the fight. It was a competition just like anything. Psyche the other person out enough and they'll back down—but it didn't always work with the female variety. After all, they _are _pretty erratic in behavior. But not Artemis. She was a spitfire and he knew what was coming before she did— and he allowed it to happen. Her hand made contact with the side of his face and then her crackly voice began rising in tones. "You stupid, immature, brat! You can't run, fine! But if your friend says he needs you, then you _have to be there_, understand! He trusts you!"

"Funny coming from you…"

"What was that?"

"You heard me! After everything you've done! After all those times you wanted to run away because you were scared of the world when you were with us! You didn't trust us, Artemis, and you were there only because you wanted to-" Her fist collided with the side of his face. It took a few moments for the shock to sink in, but then he noted her stance. She was…sad? "But I was there! I was always there! Where were you! Where have you been all these years! Hiding like a regular civilian! How about all those times the Flash had to dump _your_ missions on us! Because you don't want to help people!"

"I'll die if I do, don't you understand! Even you know what it's like to be smashed into a wall time and time again, well, imagine that it's every single time I use my speed! It's helping no one!" A few tears began welling in his eyes but he would not cry in front of his ex-teammate. There was too much pride on the line. Even she seemed to be teetering on the edge of breaking down but he still couldn't back down. "I can't save anyone anymore, Artemis! Even if I wanted to, and I still do! I'm no use to anyone like this! I know I should be out there on a team and doing something, but I just can't!" His words struck her deep and she clenched her teeth tightly together, her hands balling up beside her as two tears managed to squeeze out of her shut eyes. "_Go. See. Dick._" She stressed out the words, taking a few deep breaths. His eyebrows pulled in a tighter knit and he was about to yell but his words somehow died in his throat. With a groan, he fell back onto his bed and buried his face in his hands. "Yeah…yeah…sorry, Artemis…"

"You should be. I like you, Wally, but I don't like who you've become. You don't visit us. _Ever_. I thought you'd be someone who would visit us whenever the chance would arise, but you find any excuse to avoid us like the plague. When was the last time you even saw Megan?" Wally went silent as Artemis fell to one knee, setting her bow down beside her as she placed a hand under Wally's chin and lift it up so that he could look at her properly. His eyes shifted to the side as he let out a sigh, wanting to avoid her stare. "Too long…" He barely breathed the words, sadness overwhelming him. He rose a hand to try and wipe away a tear from her face but she wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. "Listen, you can't just disappear on the world. You've got a brain Wally, _think_. How many times have you gotten us out of a situation because of your smarts? There. I said it. Wally West, you are a smart man. Now go do something useful instead of…well…this." She let out a laugh and reached over to her bow, picking it up and standing to her full height. He looked up at her with defeated eyes and gave a small chuckle. "How'd _you_ manage to cheer me up?"

"Because I'm awesome like that." She gave him a grin and walked over to the window and turned to him with another smile. "No need to thank me or anything like that." Wally combed his hand through his hair and gave a small chuckle. "Thanks, Artemis…I…guess I needed someone to give me a good kick in the ass."

"Damn right. Now, what do you have to do?"

"Yeah, yeah…sheesh…I'll go see Dick…"

"Good. And?"

"What do you mean 'and?'" She sighed and reached over to a bobble head of the Flash on his dresser and threw it at him, he catching it with the most care. "Take care of your own damn missions! Flash and everyone else outside of Central has had to put up with enough of your bullshit over the years! If you can do something about it, then do it! It's hard enough with Superboy missing-"

"Superboy's missing?"

"Oops…" She clasped her hand over her mouth as Wally jumped to his feet, bolting to her and grabbing her shoulders. "How? When? Was it Luthor! Where's Megan!"

"W-well…Nightwing has the details…"

"Nightwing..? Who's that?" He could swear he could see her grinning like the Cheshire cat as she now piqued his interest. "Oh, some best friend of yours named Dick took up another mantle so he could try to find him. And Megan. We've got Kaldur and Zatana on the mission looking for them too."

"Wait, Megan's missing! How long! What's…who…we gotta find her! I mean them! We have to find both of them!" Artemis placed a hand on her hip and flashed him one of her sly grins. "I thought that'd get your blood flowing back to your brain." Wally couldn't help but grin lopsidedly and give a few distorted laughs. "I guess…the team's pulling together again for this one."

"That's why Dick wants to speak to you. You should get to Gotham as soon as possible."

"I'm already there." She rose an eyebrow, his hands raising up defensively. "Figure of speech only. I'll be there tomorrow evening."

"Good. We'll be waiting for further instructions at the old place." It was his turn to raise an inquisitive eyebrow. She caught on quickly. "Mount Justice, Wally. Jeez, I know we haven't been there in a while, but Dick assumed that it'd be the best place to meet up because Megan and Conner have both been using that as a home. Can't exactly go anywhere else when they're not exactly human, you know." A stab of pity hit the two of them as they suddenly found something interesting in the ground. "We kind of…really left them to the league…didn't we?"

"Yeah…" Artemis agreed, sitting on the window's ledge and looking over at Wally, his face contorted in guilt. He had loved Megan at one point in time and got over the fact that she and Conner were an item, but once loved never forgotten, and he didn't want to abandon her. Never mind her as a love interest, the team as a whole. He felt a sense of duty to his team and it never really left him even when he couldn't use his power, but he was too ashamed from the lack of power to face them. He did abandon them all without knowing. He sighed and combed his hand through his orange hair once more and looked over at Artemis. "Think we can fix this? All of this, I mean…?"

"Robin created the Titans…it was over then. We all expected Conner and Megan to stay under League watch….including myself…that's why we could never really join you guys in the Titans. But we don't want the Titans involved in Junior Justice problems, do you understand…?"

"Yeah. No fair to the others." She gave a nod and leaned backwards out the window, staring up at the light-polluted sky. "I haven't talked to you like this in years, you know that?"

"Yeah. Kinda feels good." She looked down and saw him giving her a weary smile, his entire face seemed tired and content at the same time. Her own lips pulled into a smile and she leaned back over her knees, her fingers gripping even tighter onto the ledge. "We need you back. Maybe not even as Kid Flash, since it seems you've really outgrown that name…" They both laughed a bit at that statement and he gave a few nods. "Yup, yup. I'm a man now! Not a kid!" He flexed for her and stopped when she laughed a bit too hard. "Sure it's not all flab now?"

"Hey, I work out!" Nonetheless, he blushed a bit and resumed his thinking-man position, fingers laced under his chin and observing Artemis and allowing her to continue. "Help us out as Wally. The League know that they've gone missing and they're searching too, but extra hands wouldn't hurt. And in your case, an extra head. We could use you to run the bio-ship and the computers when Dick's not around and...probably use you just for someone to keep our spirits up. Throw in a bad pun or two. You know…be you." Wally's eyebrows danced in line as he gave her a wink. "I think I can do that."

"Good. Now, I gotta get back to my rounds." She flipped backwards out of the window, her arms still holding onto the ledge in a backwards position. She looked over at Wally one last time and saw him still staring over at her with a sly grin. "What?"

"Missed you too, Artemis."

"Idiot, who'd miss you?" She turned immediately and blushed, taking out an arrow and shooting it across to the building across, about to take off but was stopped. "Hey, Artemis." She looked over her shoulder one last time and saw him at the window. He leaned over and took hold of her shoulder, planting a quick kiss on her cheek. "One for the go."

"Ugh, gross!" She tried to wipe off the kiss with her shoulder and tugged on the line, giving up on the kiss halfway so that she could whisk off back to Gotham. Wally suddenly grew serious once more as he approached his nightstand and reached under it, feeling around until he felt a paper bag. He pulled it out and placed it on the bed, emptying it of its contents. Goggles, a com-link, Titans communicator, and a familiar scarlet and yellow suit tumbled onto the bed. He picked up the goggles in one hand and the com-link in the other, staring at them both with a judging eye but none more so than his suit that was now several sizes too small for him. He wasn't going back as Kid Flash, he was going back as Wally West. Wally West wouldn't need a codename if he was doing all the behind-the-scenes action, right? It wasn't like he was running into trouble, in the literal form of speaking. He pushed the com-link into his ear and turned it on and then snapped the goggles over the top of his head and walked over to his full body length mirror and observed himself in his blue pinstriped pajama bottoms and white muscle shirt while sporting the flashy goggles. The sight almost made him laugh. It was even more infantile than he remembered, but it served its purpose. He switched on the different applications on it and grinned in vague remembrance of its existence. He hadn't picked up his equipment in years and now he finally had to pick it up once more to find his lost friends. Perhaps…maybe…his speed would work without him hitting a wall? He finished puberty, right? The disease wouldn't affect him, would it? For the hell of it, he pressed the communication button on the com link. Dry mouthed, he managed to say the words: "Kid Flash reporting in for duty." He looked at the image of himself all the while he spoke. It was almost liberating to say those words, but Artemis was right. He needed a new name. Before he could get too accustomed to saying those words to who he thought was no one, a voice responded back. "You need a new name, KF." Wally nearly jumped out of his skin as Dick's voice patched in through the other end. "Communications have been restored."  
>"Kaldur!"<p>

"It seems so. Perhaps it was a good idea to wait for the guy after all."

"Speedy? No way, man!"

"It's Red Arrow…after how many years…"

"Whoo hoo! The team is back!"

"Zatanna!"

"Yeah, told you guys he missed us." Artemis now patched through. He ran to his window and looked outside to see the archer's silhouette standing on a building and watching him through his window. He waved his hand out at her vigorously and grinned from ear to ear. "Why haven't you contacted us at all since now, Wally? Our awesomeness too much to handle?" Zatanna's voice mused. Wally choked up and he fell onto his bed, a sudden dizzy spell washing over him. He rubbed his forehead and fell silent. They were all waiting on his answer. It was so…sudden. Everyone had been counting on him. They were waiting for him, as Roy had mentioned. They didn't know if he was going to pull through or not for them. They were counting on him. It was as if his entire face was frozen except for his mouth. "I think we all know who _really_ was the awesome one on the team."

"That'd be me." Roy immediately spoke up, earning a laugh from Wally. He was relieved. It was as if a weight had suddenly been lifted off his shoulders. The burden in his heart had been released a bit and he had come back to who he really was. "Not on your life, man. Hey, new guy Nightwing, when do we meet? Or do you want to go back to Mount Justice right away?"

"Hey, Wally, yeah, we're all kinda waiting on you right now…so…put away your costume…"

"Cause it's totally too small…" Zatanna added to Dick's comment, Wally's eyebrows furrowing together in sheer confusion. "And get something proper on. You'll need to be in something more stealth-like than your pajamas…" Kaldur spoke up. Wally was a little freaked out now. His heart beat a million miles a minute as he held the side of his face in ambivalence. Did he want this? How did they know exactly…

"Have you been spying on me! Dude, so not cool!"

"Wally, look out your window…" He did so slowly and in a puff of violet smoke and a few chanted words, Zatannas invisibility spell was broken and the shaded figures of five of his closest friends stood on the same building Artemis was on. Wally leapt up from his bed for the umpteenth time that night and in pure joy, let out a cry. "GUYS!" There they were—the heroes of his life standing there so—heroically. Wally's brain ceased to function and had a habit of running out of words to describe his friends. Dick's hand reached up to his ear and spoke up once more. "Wally…you sure you're ready for this?" A grin broke out on his face and with one hand, he pulled his goggles over his eyes and pressed the com-link with the other. "Duh, what, as if I could _run_ from this. Haha, get it?" The collective groan from the group could almost be heard despite the distance between them.

Finally, Dick thought, they were a team again. Not quite the Junior Justice League but the Titans included other members not from the original group. And that's what they were. The original members of the Titans who hailed from the Junior Justice.

**AN: That's that for this chapter. Though I could keep going, I'll save the rest for the next chapter.**


	3. Run

Run

Wally shifted uncomfortably in the bio ship, his hands resting on the control modules. He stared at the back of the heads belonging to his friends all chattering away uselessly. It was like everything had really gone back to normal. As if he had never left them in the first place. Of course, they _had_ formed the Titans and it was supposed to be a band-aid solution but it turned out to be one of the best things ever established. Dick—Nightwing—had been going on about how the different sectors of the Titans were pulling together to take down different bad guys. A feeling of dread washed over him as he frowned deeply and kept on navigating his way through the skies towards Mount Justice. He had missed out on _years_ worth of bad guy fighting and he felt so out of the loop. Everyone was talking about new villains or new fighting techniques or just something Wally had never heard of before and it hurt. He should have been there despite not having his speed. He should have been on top of Titan news. Should have known every new thing to happen even if Flash didn't (he'd visit once in a while and give him a few updates). Nightwing looked over at Wally and earned a weak smile. The boy wonder knew that it would be shaky grounds for him at first. All Dick did was don on a new suit, just like Wally had suggested, but Wally was absent from everything in the superhero life and to come back to it, he knew, would be a bit uneasy on the young man. "Hey, so what do you think? I had to come up with it fast because of Superboy and Miss Martian. You like?"

"Totally rocking the black and blue, dude." He gave him the thumbs up and a cheesy grin, Dick smiling back and turning his seat around completely to look at Wally properly, earning a nervous smile from Wally once more. "Yeees…?" Nightwing shrugged and returned the smile. "Thinking. How much do I let you do and how much I can do…usually I'd take on all the tech stuff going on, or let Cyborg, but now I can rely on you to do the stuff I do. It's a little weird to not have to be on top of everything on my own." Kaldur shot him a sideways glance and smiled a bit. As a former leader, he knew how important it was to keep the team happy and let everyone play out their own individual roles. They needed to feel accomplished and like they belonged. However, it was a big step for Nightwing to give him so much authority over all behind-the-scenes work. Wally was someone they all trusted, Kaldur knew, but at the same time, he had no idea what was going on in the world of the superheroes. "Perhaps we should ease him into the position, Nightwing. After all, he's been absent for a long while."

"I'm sure Wally can handle it, Aqualad. He's got a good head on his shoulders." The corner of Dick's mouth turned up in a small smile as he looked over at his best friend. Wally smiled back and he felt a little bit sure of what he was doing. That's probably all he needed—reassurance. That he was still part of a team.

"Guys, there's something a little funky going on with our base…" Zatanna was the first to stand up and point her finger over at the mountain, seeing it smoking up. The rest of the team stood in fear as they pressed their hands against the glass, mouths agape. "I'll…try to establish contact inside the room…" Wally began, Red Arrow spinning around to him and gnashing his teeth. "Do that and you'll blow our cover. Land and we'll-"

"Establish contact, KF." Nightwing gave the go ahead and earned a nod from the young man. He quickly scanned through the different signals on the main computer at the base but all turned up to be static. He shook his head in vain. "No go. The computer systems are down. I'll try hacking into the main database and-" The bio-ship collided with what seemed to be a forcefield. All systems in the ship failed and they began a dead drop a few thousand feet in the air. Wally's stomach gave a lurch as he tried steering her into a more controlled fall but all he managed to do was get thrown to the side courtesy of Artemis and her taking control of the ship. Within seconds flat, it was hovering and not a second too soon, the ship was barely three feet from the ground. Wally rubbed the back of his neck as she threw him a stern expression and then looked back at Nightwing. "This is insane. I know what you said, and I agree that he can do this, but we can't just haul him into a mission without proper training!"

"Artemis!" Nightwing called out, Wally's face pulling back in anger. He angrily stood up and ripped off his goggles, throwing it at her feet. "You're the one that convinced me to come in the first place!"

"I didn't know we were headed into the heat of a battle! You could get hurt, or worse!" She landed the bio-ship and turned back to Dick. "I want him off."

"I…must agree. I understand that he is a valuable asset to this team, but if he is to get hurt, I believe that he should not be present." Kaldur commented, looking over at Wally and placing his hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry, Wally…you need training…" Wally angrily brushed his hand off, clenching and unclenching his jaw. "Yeah, it's cool. Whatever. I got it. I'll just go back home and go back to school or something. I've got homework anyways."

"Wally, it's not like that…" Zatanna's eyes furrowed together as she picked up his goggles and placed them back in his hands. "We're all bummed that you can't help on this mission…we were supposed to train you back at the base, but if it's not do-able at the moment, you just…have to wait…" She pressed his goggles in his hands and gave him a small smile, Artemis opening up a door for them to exit and they began piling out. Nightwing approached Wally and placed a hand on his shoulder, this time, Wally didn't make an attempt to move it. "You know they're just worried you'll get hurt."

"That I do know." He gave a light-hearted snort and shook his head a bit, smiling as he did so. "I'll keep my cool. They need you out there. If my hunch is right, Megan is probably blocking all contacts in or out. That smoke is coming from deep within the mountain, so don't go running into geothermal trouble. If the mountain starts to erupt, you'll need to-"

"Nightwing, let's go!" Artemis shouted from outside the bio-ship, Dick taking one last look at Wally and smiling. "She's still hot-headed."

"Seems like it." They shared a laugh and then Dick squeezed his shoulder a bit more tightly. "Hey, Wally, I'm counting on you to keep an eye on the outside activity. If it starts getting too hectic for us…"

"I'll watch your back, no worries. What are friends for?" Nightwing's teeth poked out of his lips as he smiled slightly wider and nodded his head a few times. "Yeah, you're right. Counting on you, KF."

"Good luck. Bring me back a souvenir!"

"You got it. Sit tight and keep us updated."

"Gotcha, Nightwing. Man, that's a mouthful…I preferred Rob…" Dick threw him a stern glare and earned a pat on the shoulder from Wally. "Kidding, kidding! Nightwing sounds super cool!"

"Try to think of a new name for yourself too…Kid Flash is too young…and that was a mouthful to say too…"

"Dude, it was totally awesome! Like the Flash but a kid-"

"In case you haven't noticed, we gotta get going." Roy stuck his head in and pointed a thumb over at the mountain and just like that, Nightwing took off, leaving Wally on his own. Wally forced a smile up until the time Dick disappeared into the base and then he fell into his seat, sighing in defeat. There was no way he'd be of real help, no matter what Dick said. Unless…

Wally navigate through the files kept on the bio-ship's database and began going through them one by one in a matter of seconds, his eyes scrolling through the information and storing it in his brain.

* * *

><p>The entire team went on stealth mode, Nightwing hugging a corner as he peered over his shoulder to see G-gnomes tampering with different computers, security panels, and even little gadgets that hung around. Wordlessly, Red Arrow and Artemis ran inside the room, remaining undetected the entire time, and hid behind a sofa each, unslinging their bows from their backs and nocking a pointed arrow. Aqualad took hold of his water-bearers and powered them up, keeping his eyes out for the larger enemy up ahead with larger horns. Zatanna remained silent, her backward spells had to be spoken and she was not going to spoil the mission and be heard. Everyone waited on Nightwing to give an order, but he was patient. He waited and stared at exactly what was going on with the G-gnomes. They were with Conner when they freed him all those years ago, why would they show up again so suddenly? Was it because of Conner? Nightwing watched as they destroyed the area and were in obvious search of something. He raised a hand and looked over at the two archers, about to give a command, but was interrupted by a bit of static in his ear, someone radio-ing him in. "Guys, you're not going to believe this…" Wally's voice. He was whispering to them as if he knew they were facing something dangerous. That or he was in a dangerous situation. No one dared answer him back, the G-gnomes had sensitive hearing and would attack on a moment's notice. "Megan's coming towards the bio-ship…" Their eyes widened in fear as they exchanged glances, Nightwing clutching onto his wing-dings and fear sunk deep into his gut. He knew that Wally was going to be in trouble and alone, he didn't stand a chance against the white martian. His mind raced as he looked over at his other teammates and pointed over at Aqualad and then at the ground. The Atlantean nodded and stood his ground. Stay here. Nightwing took off and knew that if Megan was near, so was Superboy. Inside or out, it wasn't for sure, but it didn't seem to sit with anyone too well. The familiar halls flew past him as he approached the outside of the mountain through the same hidden door they entered from.<p>

'_Please be okay…please be okay…please don't make her be dangerous…'_ His mind raced with the same thoughts as he turned down the hall just in time to see Wally being forcibly pulled out of the bio-ship and launched into the side of the mountain, M'Gann in her white martian form and staring at Wally with mild disinterest. "WALLY!" Nightwing's voice cracked as his shout came out louder than he intended it to. She made her way over to the bio-ship and before Nightwing could move, she blasted him into the mountainside as well. He groaned and looked over beside him to see Wally struggling with himself to stay alert but he wasn't winning. He hadn't gone through proper training in a while. _'It's my fault…'_ Nightwing's jaw fell open slightly at the sad realization. The others were right. He wasn't ready for a mission. He had no super powers or a suit or the endurance he once had as Kid Flash. He was…a regular civilian. He took a regular civilian off the streets and placed him in harm's way. Batman would have never done that. Batman would have never placed his trust in someone who could cause more harm than good. And that's what Wally was at the moment. And the ex-speedster knew it. He was a liability to the team. A distraction. Nightwing turned back to Megan and pulled himself together, standing at his full height and helping Wally out of the crater. "Just rest here…I'll handle it."

"She's not responding to anything…" Wally breathed harshly, holding onto his side. He wasn't too sure about any broken ribs, but bruised ribs were a high possibility. He winced as he stayed in his crouched position, staring over at the white martian that had begun to communicate with her ship. "She's not there…"

"Got it. Stay there for now." Wally gave a nod, realizing the extent of his uselessness and accepting it. What else was there for him to do? Think? Last time he checked, he couldn't beat an enemy by thinking it away. However…

"Fire…" He reached into his pockets and produced a lighter and some fire crackers. He'd been saving them up for a joke that he was going to pull, but this seemed to be a better distraction. He scoured the area visually in search of something to light up, anything that would burn, but turned up empty handed. Even if he could get a fire started, greenery wouldn't burn. Gas, propane, kerosene, or oil would light up quick and burn hot _fast_. He looked over at Nightwing to see him clutching onto a set of smoke bombs from a pouch on his utility belt. Wally knew that it either meant Nightwing was planning to run with him or attack from within, but M'Gann would be able to pinpoint their location with her telepathy. "Dude, what are you doing?"

"Giving you a chance to get out of here. This is _your_ distraction, so use it wisely." He yanked off the three smoke bombs and threw his wing-dings towards the martian, earning a shrill, alien-like sound of which neither of them had heard before. Wally inhaled deeply and began to make his way out of the area, clutching onto his ribs and running towards the forest, wincing with every step he took. Nightwing watched his friend try and escape and he threw more exploding wing-dings at their friend to try and subdue her but all he managed to do was enrage her further. Her three fingered hand rose up towards Nightwing and he flew high in the air. "NO!" Wally felt helpless as she brought him rushing back down towards the earth, slamming him into it as hard as she could. Wally went rushing towards her but she merely blew him backwards with a mind blast, focusing on the more imminent threat. Nightwing barely clung onto consciousness as he could feel his breath leave him with ever successful hit to the ground. Wally clenched his fists and tried approaching her once more but was blown back yet again and was sent tumbling backwards towards the door to the inside of the mountain. A firecracker fell out of his pocket near his foot, his eyes falling upon it only to be brought back to reality as Nightwing's yelling echoed throughout the area. He couldn't stand it anymore. He wouldn't stand by and do nothing—wait for help to come. He was there _now._ He had to do something. He knew what it'd mean. He knew the consequences. And he'd be damned if they would stop him from doing what he had to do. Nightwing looked over at Wally once and knew exactly what the red-head was about to do. "Wally, NO!"

"Be back in a flash." He gave him his signature grin and then Nightwing blinked and Wally was no longer there.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Despite not having many reviews (Tai, I love you so much c'=), I'm really grateful for people following my story. Reviews are nice but what I really love are the people following my story. Thanks guys. Reviews are always welcome~<strong>


	4. Promises and Masks

Promises and Masks

Speed. Power. Adrenaline. He remembered the feelings all too well. How the air would run through his hair and his feet carried under him felt so foreign yet so familiar. The way the scene before him both flashed by him quickly but also seemed to move in slow motion, the way that he could get from one place to the other in the blink of an eye (and faster), the way that he could think and run at the same time and just seem to_ know_ what he had to do next. "Wally!" Artemis's voice rang out behind him as he raced to the garage, picking up two canisters of gas and racing back out. Sweat had already started to form on his brow. He was beginning to feel the effects already and he knew what would happen next if he didn't stop. He shook his head, trying to ignore the ever present effects but they were still there. Lingering over him. His death's clock ticking faster with every step he took. He unscrewed the tops of the tanks and reached the door outside once more, seeing Nightwing laying uselessly in a heap under the white martian's grip. Growling, he sped up in a circle around her, pouring out the gas at the same time and picking up Nightwing to set him further away from the to-be wreckage. His ribs throbbed in pain but it was a pain he could ignore in comparison to the sensation of hitting a wall that he had begun feeling. M'Gann's focus wasn't fast enough to shoot him with a mind blast and grew ever so frustrated. Wally sped over to his best friend and panted heavily, sweat falling from his chin now as his vision doubled. He fumbled for the lighter and firecrackers, Nightwing beginning to stir from his unconsciousness. He groaned and looked up to see Wally fighting with his pockets and himself. Horror overwhelmed him. "Wall-" Before he could finish his sentence, Wally had managed to free his lighter and all fire crackers by turning his pocket inside-out. The lighter clicked to life and lit up several firecrackers all at once. He rushed towards the streams of gas and dropped them in several areas, fire lighting up the gas almost instantly. Within a second, Nightwing's arm was slung around Wally's shoulder and he had brought him further away from the danger. Nightwing knew the sensation of going at inhuman speeds, but he wish he hadn't been feeling it once again because of Wally. The gas exploded outwards in a large burst, M'Gann letting out a shriek as she quickly tried battling the flames with her psychic abilities in vain. Wally set down his friend away from the scene and was about to go forwards but only managed to shuffle forwards a bit and stumble onto all fours, his body screaming out in pain. His eyes widened with the newfound pain and breathing came in short bursts of gasps and pants, double vision giving him two pairs of hands instead of one. He still had to save Megan. She was suffering. She was suffering because of him. As soon as she fell to the ground, he would have to move her. As soon as she hit the ground…

"Wally, STOP!" Nightwing tried yelling at his friend but couldn't stop him. His whole body felt as if it had run through a meat grinder and it rejected him halfway through, but there was Wally—dying. Just a little bit each time. Just a little bit every time he used his speed. All because he was back on a team. _'It's my fault…_' Nightwing thought in alarm, trying to move his own useless body but feeling pain wrack through him. He needed to stop his friend before it was too late. Before he literally ran himself to death. Before his best friend would do something stupid to try and protect him. Wally stopped briefly before M'Gann and tried regaining his strength a bit, leaning over his knees while staring down the white martian. "Guess I shoulda…eaten that midnight snack…haha…" He tried laughing it off as he wiped a bit of sweat from his chin but doing so in vain, it was simply replaced by more water. He took his running stance and just as he took his first step to run through the flames, bolas wrapped around his torso and ankles, bringing him crashing into the ground face-first. Water splashed onto the gas-created flames and M'Gann slowly began to come to her senses, taking on her form that they were all accustomed to at the words of "Egnahc reh kcab!" Wally felt his senses begin to dull around him, two hands going over him to remove the bolas quickly and let him writhe on the ground in pain. Nightwing had done the deed to stop him in his tracks and regretted having him involved in the first place. "Wally, you idiot! You knew this would happen! You should have called for help!" It was no use. The ex-speedster was in too much pain to hear what was happening around him. His body wracked with coughs and skin boiled with a fever as his insides churned and twisted in unnatural ways. It was all because he wanted to be a speedster to work with his hero, Flash. He re-created that explosion too early in his life. If he had just waited a few years to reach maturity, this wouldn't have happened! Nightwing watched helplessly as Wally's hand clutched onto his sides. He was in obvious pain but he tried not to show it as much as possible, keeping his contorted faces to a minimum and his eyes closed so that he wouldn't have to see his friends' worried expressions. "…ally….ly…W…Wally!" He forced his eyes open slightly and saw Nightwing's hand on the ground out in front of him. He was laying sideways. And just like that, another wave of excruciating pain overtook him and his eyes widened as his body curled into a tight ball. "What's…going…" Nightwing looked up to see M'Gann had snapped out of her stupor and was helped up thanks to Aqualad. Her eyes fell upon Wally and in a split second, she let out a gasp and went to try to go over to him but Zatanna stood in her way. "No way. We have no idea what's going on with you, you're not going to get near him." M'Gann's eyes were set as Aqualad pulled her back, looking over at his teammate writhing on the ground and gnashing his teeth. "This was a bad idea, Nightwing, do you understand now? What happened? Why did he use his powers?"

"That doesn't matter now! We gotta get him help! Where's Red Arrow and Artemis?"

"Calming down the volcano. Turns out the G-gnomes were making it active for some reason. Superboy was not inside and the G-gnomes suddenly vanished into thin air. There's someone else working on this project. I think we all have a good hunch who." Aqualad explained, his face pulling down in disapproval at Wally. He knew that it would be too much for him. He'd want a piece of the action and he was afraid that he would not have listened to them. "Let's get him home to Flash." Nightwing nodded and went to pick him up but saw that Wally had managed to push past the pain and begin to lift himself up. "N-no…"

"Don't kid yourself. You're in pain and you are unable to take care of yourself in that state." Aqualad knew how to make it hit home for the young man, his eyes still determined. He tried to lift himself up off the ground but merely managed to fall back down, his body failing. Nightwing immediately caught him and earned a yelp of pain, the dark-clad man letting go immediately and watching him fall to the ground, the pain from the impact adding insult to injury. "Aqualad to Watch tower." There was no way for Wally to argue, his mouth had locked in pain. Zatanna looked over at Nightwing and crossed her arms. "I'm worried about Artemis and Red Arrow…I'm going back."

"Fine. No use standing around here. We've got Miss M and some information we need, let's head back to the tower. Megan, you realize that you'll be under constant surveillance, right?"

"But I didn't-"

"Non-negotiable." Aqualad quipped before coming in contact with the tower once more. "Zatanna, round up the others once they're done and-" A gust of wind later and Flash was crouched over his protégé, mouth gaping. "Wally…" He looked up at Nightwing and furrowed his eyebrows. "What happened? Why's Wally here in the first place? This is the disease…"

"I'm sorry…it's my fault. I tried to get him to work on the team again as a tech or something…" Flash sighed as he picked him his protégé and ignored his yelps of pain, wrapping his arm around his shoulder and standing up to his full height. "You are foolish. As the leader of the Titans, I expected you to know a bit more about how to lead. It is expected to make mistakes. But this is Wally we're talking about. I thought you were his best friend…I thought you'd at least know him." Barry's words struck him hard. He wasn't trying to be mean, just reasonable. And that's what hurt him the most. "You're right."

"It was all of us. We wanted Wally back on the team. We-"

"I'll listen to your explanations later. Right now, I need to take care of Wally." Flash interrupted Aqualad and just like his name indicated, he was gone in a flash.

* * *

><p>Wally awoke to be in his apartment, Barry fiddling with an empty IV bag of painkillers. "How are you feeling, champ?"<p>

"Ugh, lousy…like…"

"Like you hit a wall?" Heat instantly rose to his cheeks as he looked down at his arm, the needle inserted snugly under his skin. "Yeah…" Barry's cowl, Wally just realized, was pulled off and instead of being in civilian clothes, he was dressed as Flash still. "You...stayed the entire time?"

"What else do you want me to do when my favorite nephew's tossing and turning in pain? Leave him alone for two days?" Wally went to sit up and felt an instant head rush, his hand flying to his forehead. "Jeez…sorry…I'm really sorry, Uncle Barry…" Barry let out a sigh through his nose and ruffled his hair, smiling faintly. "You wanna tell me why you used it? What you were thinking?" Barry was understanding. "Goodness, Wally, you live alone, how come your kitchen is piled with so many dishes?"

"Aunt Iris is here too?"

"Yep. Just arrived this morning. Now stop trying to change the subject." Wally could feel his chest growing heavy with shame. He had not only displaced his uncle from doing his job as a police scientist, he halted his aunt from doing her job as a reporter. "I was supposed to stay on the bio-ship…I can't use my powers, but I could still have been that guy with the brains on the team, you know? Speed thinking doesn't harm me, so I can give them pointers on the fight…piece together their puzzles...I know I can't be on scene without giving them problems, but I could still somehow guide them. I know about all of them, all their files, I got updated on all the enemies that the Titans have and…uncle Barry, I can't be Kid Flash, so let me be on their team as Wally. That volcano is now active and no matter how much Roy and Artemis think they've managed to get it under control, Mount Justice is still active, you know that and-"

"You're jumping from one topic to the other." Barry stopped Wally, giving him time to visibly take a breath and him to grab a chair, sitting down backwards on it. With a wave of his hand, Wally recollected his thoughts and began again. "I was supposed to stay on the bio-ship. My job was to guide them through the mission and keep an eye on the mountain to make sure it didn't explode. But then Megan appeared from nowhere and pulled me out of the ship, so I radio-ed in for help, I swear. Nightwing came around and started getting smashed up. Megan was focused on him and the bio-ship. She barely paid attention to me, and I don't know why. Nightwing was pinned and I couldn't leave him there, you know? He's my best friend. There wasn't enough time for me to radio the others, have them get gas tanks and then come back in time for Dick to still be alright. So, I did what I had to do. Megan's weak to fire, see, and the garage always had extra gas tanks. It was stupid and dumb and I was an idiot but you know how it is, right?" Barry gave him an understanding smile and ruffled his hair once more, earning a tired smile back from his nephew. "Yeah, kid. Once a hero, always a hero. I'm glad you did the right thing. It was stupid, but you can't replace a best friend, you know." Wally gave him a nod and looked over at Iris beginning to wash his dishes. "What about Mount Justice exploding?"

"Oh, right, well, it was smoking up real bad. So I figured that it was beginning to wake up as a volcano. Something's disturbing it from deep underground and I have to tell the others. The only one who can do that safely out of all of us is Superboy or the G-gnomes." Barry mulled over the facts and gave a few nods, holding onto his chin as he closed his eyes. "I guess there's a reason why they want you back on their team as their thinker…"

"See? I don't need to use my speed!"

"And if you think they'll need it, you'll use it and you'll end up just like you are now." Barry shot back with a frown. He didn't like hurting his nephew, but sometimes, facts were facts. He could see Wally trying to come up with a dispute but realized on his own that his uncle was right—he would sacrifice himself to ensure the safety of his friends. "Isn't it my job too? To be able to save people? You just said it yourself, once a hero, always a hero. I can't do this anymore and idly sit by while you and everyone else is fighting!"

"At the sake of your own life? Wally, they don't want your help if all you're doing is killing yourself. Be their thinker, sit behind a computer and guide them, sure, but I know you, Wally. You'd break the sound barrier to reach your friends at the other side of the world if they needed you. And then you'd arrive there dead." Wally's chest welled up with sadness. He was right. He was absolutely right. His friends' life meant more than his in the heat of battle, and quite often when he was Kid Flash, he would use himself as a battering ram to knock the bad guys away from his friends despite having bruises and broken bones to deal with the following day. He put his heart so much into the team that being torn away from it hurt him more than anyone knew, and now they try and bring him back and he's being warned to stay away for his own safety? A heart could only take so much. "I'll…I won't use my speed again, I swear it…!"

"Liar. You used it the moment you saw that Nightwing needed your help." Once more, Wally tried to argue him, his mouth opening and closing but for the first time, his brain couldn't come up with an argument that could best his uncle's. Barry folded his arms on the chair and rested his chin on them, his eyebrows pulled together as he smiled. "There are just some things, Wally, that you can't do. And that's remain calm in the heat of battle. Face it; you're too hard-headed to just do what they tell you to do." Wally let his head hang onto his chest, his hand traveling to the back of his neck to massage it. "You're a scientist, Uncle Barry…isn't there…something…you can do? Temporarily? Let me work on their team, but if I need to, I'll run to them. Can't you develop like a patch or something to let my brain not register the pain or something? Cut off the nerves and-"

"Are you crazy! That is seriously the stupidest thing I've heard you say!" He straightened his back and grew enraged, Wally staring back at him with determined eyes. Barry knew that the moment he thought of this that he was going to otherwise experiment on himself and do something stupid—like he did in the first place to bestow his powers upon himself. "You're crazy."

"You know I have full access to my science lab at school. I've won countless science award too, uncle Barry. They've allowed me access to some chemicals other students aren't allowed access to."

"Is that a threat? I will put you under 24/7 surveillance."

"I'd run to another lab. I _will _be part of this team whether you like it or not."

"I never had a problem with you returning to the team, Wally, I have a problem knowing you'd _run_ yourself to your death. And now I have a problem with you trying to find a way to suppress your pain so that you can continue to run."

"Only when I need to."

"Wally, you're a smart kid; _why_ do people feel pain?" Wally sighed, the answer being too evident. "A physical factor telling your brain that your body needs to stop doing what it's doing."

"Right, and so you want me to get rid of that? How will you know when to stop?"

"I guess it'd happen only if my body were to shut down…"

"Right. Now, enough of this. I do not mind if you go back to the team, but you cannot use your speed."

"Uncle Barry…I know…I just couldn't watch Dick get killed. You'd do the same in my shoes…" Barry let out a small, exasperated smile slip onto his lips. "Wally…"

"I'll only use it if I see that they're going to get killed out there, I swear. I won't use it recklessly, how old do you think I am? I'm not sixteen anymore, you know."

"Worse, you're a legal adult." Barry laughed, earning a small scowl from the young man before him. His laughter died down and he rubbed the side of his nose with an open hand and sighed, giving Wally a few nods. "I can't stop you, Wally, but I'll have to trust you to keep your word to that. Now, call up your team and let them know you're alright. In the meantime, I gotta get back home to change up for work. Iris will be here for a while." Wally hadn't overlooked the fact that she had been listening in on every word that had been exchanged between the men but she chose to remain silent. Barry knew how to handle another speedster better than she could. "I have a special report to do at six, so I'll have to be gone for a while only then."

"I don't need a babysitter, aunt Iris…go, I'm totally fine." She turned to look over at him with an evil eye. He'd seen it too many times while trying to steal food from the tray fresh out of the oven or cookie batter. However, this time she was more intent on staying for as long as she felt he needed her. He raised both hands in defense and earned another laugh from Barry. "I'll leave at five and only at five, you hear me Wallace?" He cringed at the name and gave a few nods. Barry finally stood and walked over to his wife and plated a kiss on her cheek, holding her close. A gentle smile crossed her face as she gave him a quick peck on his lips and pulled his cowl over his face. "Don't do anything stupid. I'll see you in the morning?"

"Three am?"

"It's a date." She winked and watched him speed off. Now, Wally knew, he was going to hear Iris's side of what she thought. His aunt seemed to always know what to say to touch his heart. "Wally…"

"I know, I know…" She approached him and sat next to him on his bed, taking hold of his hand and giving it a squeeze. "I know you do, but I gotta say it sometimes to remind you. I love you, Wally, and I don't want anything to happen to you…please, don't do anything rash. I don't want to attend a funeral of a loved one…" His face contorted in pain as he saw her own scrunch up in sadness. Once again, it felt as if an angel had reached inside his chest and gently wrapped her hand around his heart, warming him from the inside out—and also scaring him. "Promise me, Wally…promise me that you won't do something stupid…don't run…" Thick pearly tears leaked out the corners of her eyes as her shoulders trembled. Wally instantly wrapped his arms around her in a hug and felt his world somehow being rebuilt. "I promise…I won't run if I don't have to. I'll come home safe from missions and stuff." He had forgotten that even though she was his aunt, above all, she was still a woman who felt strong emotions. She needed to be comforted too. "I promise…" She pulled away from him and kissed his forehead, gently taking hold of his two hands in hers. "If everyone stopped thinking about missions and bad guys and realized that you're all human underneath, it'd be easier for them to make decisions. Right now, Wally, you're the only one without access to a power or ability of some sort. You see things through the eyes of the rest of the people. If you can transmit that knowledge through their battles and occasionally reminded them to be people, things would be a lot easier on everyone. The eyes of a hero and the eyes of civilians are two different perspectives. You have the advantage of having seen both." Wally mulled over her words and gave a few absent-minded nods. She was right. There'd be fewer casualties in the cities, less risk of them trying to build walls to stop them from being who they were…

"Like…a team manager?"

"Now you're getting it." She smiled, his hands now squeezing hers. "You wouldn't have much to report then…"

"Don't worry, your uncle and his…associates…give me more than enough hero news to cover. It'd be nice to see your uncle once in a while before three. There are times when he doesn't even make it into bed! Ends up sleeping on the welcome mat at the front entrance!" They shared a laugh but then realized how sad it truly was and it came to a slow halt. "I understand it's hero business and all, but it's the way they operate. Usually it's one city, one hero. Unfortunately, Barry's stretched thin between work, working with the League, and Central crime. He sometimes needs to be reminded that he's human too and that he needs his relaxation time. If it's like that with him, it's like that with the others."

"Yeah, no kidding…" Wally remembered all too well the times when he would get home just in time to grab his (late) homework and money for lunch and zip off to school. "In any case, my point was that you can also remind them to be people." This time, it was Wally's turn to frown. Batman's preachings hadn't fallen upon deaf ears. "Someone I know once told me this…" he started with a frown, "when people become scared and panicked, and they don't know what to do, they look to us and shout 'help'. We're not regular people to them, Aunt Iris. We're not humans to them. We're Superheroes. We're supposed to exceed their expectations. We're the ones who not only have to charge through the burning building to save that last person or pet, we're supposed to put out the fire too and manage to do it without a scratch." He could see Iris bubbling over once more with sadness. "But you are…you're my nephew…and my husband…they don't understand…" Wally pulled her into another hug, his face pulling back into a frown. This was what she had been hiding for a long time. The hurt and fear she faced everyday knowing that her loved ones could die any day and were rarely treated as humans. They were not people…they were inhuman. They were superheroes who were supposed to face the challenges regular people simply could not. The most awkward part about the entire scenario to Wally wasn't that he was comforting his aunt, rather, it was his aunt actually understanding nearly every superheroes' everyday daily crisis—how to live without the mask.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: WHOA! Thanks to everyone who reviewed! I hope this was a fast enough update for you! Reviews are highly welcomed they feed me during the time now when I am too sickly for real food. Omnomnomnom :) Extra long chapter! <strong>


	5. Painkillers

Painkillers

Wally let out a loud sigh and stared at the phone as the clock struck four thirty. Iris was in his bathroom applying on her makeup while being very quiet, waiting for Wally to do what he had to do. "Pick up and call, Wally."

"W-what if they're on a mission?"

"Right now, I'm pretty sure Dick's waiting for your call. Besides, don't you have that ear thing to communicate with them? Practically hands free. If you're so worried, use that. He'll be able to answer and fight at the same time." Wally's lip turned up in disdain. For a woman who wasn't a superhero, she sure did know a few of their tricks. It wasn't some sort of secret, but she must have picked it up from either him or Barry at one point in time or other. She glanced over at him from the corner of her eye and saw him pacing about, his finger rested on his chin. With a final sigh, she slammed down her eyeliner and turned to him. "Wallace Rudolph West, just call him! He's your friend, you know! He's probably worried sick about you! You radio him or I will!" His eyes widened as he pursed his lips in disbelief, his entire body freezing where he stood. "You wouldn't…"

"Wayne manor is on speed-dial, Wally. I'm a reporter, I _have_ to have it, it's my job to know and have important numbers." Wally sighed in defeat and fell back in his bed, eyeing the IV stand beside him and the tube that was still inserted under his skin, constantly feeding him painkillers. Barry would be back the following day before his work shift to remove it. He didn't like to take chances with Wally when he was in a state of shock from his disease. Iris allowed him thinking room by allowing him to pace, but other than that, he'd been confined to the bed for a majority of the day. "Fine. Whatever. You win."

"Good. Now sit down. Your supper's in the fridge. I'm sure you know how to warm it up?"

"I'm twenty one!"

"My, how the years escape me." She finished applying the last of her make-up and approached him, Wally grinning broadly. "Look at you getting all fancy."

"Hm, I'm glad you like it. Maybe Barry will get to see it sometime tonight. Oh, that's a terrible thing to say! No, I better not see him tonight." She mentally hit herself and laughed. "If I see him it means someone's in danger. Definitely don't want that! Now, you don't go do anything stupid. I'm leaving you alone for the night. I'll be back in the morning with Barry to check up on you."

"Serious? Dude, like, no, you have your own work! I'll call like a normal person! Take the morning off! I promise I'll call before school!"

"Then I'll just send Barry."

"Please don't…"

"Wally, this is the end of the discussion. I'm serious." She gave him the iron eye once more and slung her purse around her shoulder, earning a groan from the young man. "Just learn to live with it, Wally." For some reason, her simple words struck him hard. That's what he'd tried doing before—learning to live without his powers. "Yeah…see ya, Aunt Iris…" She gave him a wave and was out the door. Wally sighed once more and looked over at his goggles hanging off his lamp. With a sigh, he reached under his pillow and dug out his com-link, pressing it into his ear and turning it on. "Wally to Nightwing. You listening, buddy?" There was dead silence. Not even static to say that the com-link was open. He gave an audible sigh and waited still, staring up at his ceiling fan twirling about lazily. Before he knew it, his eyelids closed and he fell asleep.

* * *

><p>The sounds of something crashing over jolted Wally awake and he made a reach for his bat only for dizziness to befall him, cursing him to fall over the side of the bed and stare at the floor for a few moments. Two hands gently wrapped around his biceps and helped him get back onto the bed. He turned his to the figure beside him and saw none other than Nightwing. "Hey! What are you doing here? It's not exactly a hop skip and jump away from Gotham…"<p>

"Can't make sure that my friend's okay?"

"I tried to call you over radio before. Not my fault you didn't answer." Wally huffed and finally saw clear enough to make out Dick's face illuminated by the dull city street lights in the otherwise dark room. "Did you hear me when I called you?" Nightwing remained silent and sighed. "Yeah, I heard you."

"So why didn't you answer?" Wally slouched over his knees as he looked up at his friend, seeing him sigh and rub his cheek slightly. The silence grew heavy with each passing second until finally, Wally sighed. "Listen, I'm okay. Really. I've gone over it with Flash too, and he agrees with me being back on the team if I don't use my powers. I promised aunt Iris that I wouldn't, and you know I keep my promises, Dick." Wally flashed him a smile but earned only a hardened glare back. "The team…they don't want you back…"

"Aw, dude…"

"But I do. Mount Justice is out of the question to go back to with everything going on, so you'll be staying at Titan Tower. Sound good?"

"Dude! You just said that-"

"I don't care what the others think. I went over things with Kaldur as well. He says that you should remain in the tower and receive training from the Titans not on duty. I was dealing with them at the time and came here to come pick you up. But if Barry's still got you hooked up…" Nightwing tapped on the IV, the corner of his mouth turning up in disapproval. "Aw, this thing? I can take it out-"

"No, you won't. You have it with reason. Don't be an idiot."

"Well you're the idiot for not even telling me that you'd be here." Nightwing went silent once more, Wally looking over at the pile of milk bottles his friend had knocked over when he entered through the window. Artemis had gracefully avoided them but Nightwing seemed to be in a state uncaring. "I didn't…know what to say. It's my fault you ended up this way. I should have been more careful."

"Megan isn't exactly the easiest person to subdue without fire, you know. Unless you're a telepath or something. And what did you want me to do, yell at you from afar and hope that you'd be alright?"

"But you should have called for help!"

"I hate it when people tell me that. Can we stop talking about it? It's driving me insane. Everyone's telling me the same thing and I'm tired of talking in circles. How's Megan doing? Is she still under G-gnome control?"

"How'd you figure that out?"

"Duh, if G-gnomes were in the area, there's the psychic telepathic way to control our friendly white martian." Nightwing rolled his eyes. He was right for the most part, and Nightwing wasn't entirely stupid so he could make out that part on his own, but one thing still bothered him. "Artemis and Red Arrow said that there was no way for them to go further than the sub-level we have for captives. But something was disturbing the earth from deep within."

"I was thinking about that too. It's probably a horde of G-gnomes digging underground to get to something. Superboy's part of project Cadmus, so he's the direct link we need to look for. Have you tried grilling Megan for answers?"

"Yeah, it's a no go. Zatanna's tried hypnotism and Jericho tried looking deep inside her memories but it's as if that part of her life is completely wiped clean. No trace of anything, not even psychic intrusion."

"So then you can basically boil everything down to being telepathic control anyways…"

"Basically." Nightwing shrugged and continued, "still doesn't explain the G-gnomes mining-spree under our old base."

"We should ask Superman or GL to see if they made any secret rooms they didn't bother telling us about when we took over the layer."

"Superman is fond of his secrets…"

"That's for sure. Wouldn't surprise me if he…" Wally's head snapped to the side in sudden realization. "What if there's a secret fortress or something like that beneath the base? A base within a base? What could be inside that Superman wouldn't want people finding out about…?" Wally grinned, leading on Nightwing perfectly. "Kryptonite…"

"Aaand that's why there's Superboy." He grinned as he stretched back and pumped a fist in the air. "We are so good."

"Theoretically speaking, yes, but that still doesn't explain Miss M being taken as well and what the G-gnomes want with kryptonite, if it even is kryptonite in the first place…"

"Superboy can't go near it, so he could have served as a way to measure how close they were and Miss M could get it out?" Wally voiced his new theory, earning a shake of the head from Nightwing. "Doesn't explain why she was trying to get the bio-ship…" Wally sighed and scratched the back of his head. "I don't know, man…things don't add up…who's the mastermind behind all this is what I want to know. How clichéd would it be if it was Luthor?"

"Honestly, Wally, it wouldn't surprise me." Nightwing chuckled and scratched his head a bit. "So…what's going on with the mountain then? Is it going to explode? They wouldn't send Megan there to help Superboy if she's weak against fire…but Superboy's weak against kryptonite…and there's no way they could have gotten the bio-ship underground…"

"I told you, there are things that don't add up…" The dark-clad male sighed through his nose as he rubbed his cheek a bit, feeling the stubble that he had yet to shave in an absent-minded manner. "We'll have to check out the scene again. There's no way of knowing for sure unless we go back."

"That's what I'm thinking too…I should go with you-"

"Without you, Wally." The red-head instantly frowned and became crestfallen. Nightwing placed his hand on his shoulder to offer some comfort. "It's easier on everyone if you warm the bench for this one. If we manage to find anything that we'll have to fight, you're not ready."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever, man. Check out the scene dude, and keep me updated. If you give me a computer to work with and a visual on the scene, it'd be like I was there too."

"Yeah, lemme just hook up a video camera to my head and hope the bad guy doesn't punch it out." Wally's face dropped at the blatant sarcasm but sighed anyways. "What I meant was that if you equipped a camera onto your uniforms somehow, so I can look for stuff you might overlook."

"That's not a half bad idea…more than often rustles in the bushes are overlooked…I'll see what I can do about that." Nightwing smiled. Wally was good at science-y stuff and computers were more of Dick's department. "Anyways, it won't happen in time for the next mission, so just-" More bottles crashing across the room warned the two young men that there was another intruder. Nightwing made a swift grand for his wing dings but Wally sighed and took hold of his hand and pushed it down. "Here to take me off the meds?"

"Here for a thirty second check up." Barry zipped over to the nearly empty bag and switched it with another full bag of weaker painkillers, taking a seat and crossing his legs, examining Nightwing with a judging eye. "You didn't come here for Wally right away, did you?"

"I did, but if he's still on those drugs, then I'm not taking him to the tower."

"Good. We also haven't had our talk…"

"The mission was supposed to just stay at the old base. We didn't expect to find it overrun with G-gnomes and M'Gann."

"I understand. In any event, Wally, you need to wait a few more days until I know for sure that you can even go to school." Barry explained, approaching the window once more and looking around to make sure that the coast was clear. "Hello, the door? Why do I bother getting an apartment with a door if no one uses it?" Wally cried out while motioning to the door in a wide movement just as his uncle took off. It didn't take long for the new meds to kick in and he suddenly began clutching his sides. "Wally?" His cheeks instantly flushed and he realized that the medicine really was doing more work than he thought. "Duuude, this sucks…" With that, Nightwing stood up and frowned deeply, his eyes wandering over at his friend's hands that pressed into both his sides. "Flash is right. You're not going to run."

"In times like this…I remember why not…" He replied, earning a look of disapproval from his friend. "Just…rest. I'll take care of things for now…radio me tomorrow if you're up to it."

"You got it." Wally forced a smile and a thumbs up and watched his friend take his leave out the window, earning another 'DUDE!' from Wally as he threw his hands towards the door. The corner of the ex-speedster's lip turned up in thought at he looked at the bag of painkillers, brainstorming something that may work. His lips curled up in an almost sinister smile as the thought came to full fruitation. "Sweet…thank you uncle Barry."

* * *

><p>Wally hopped off the bus as he came to the last stop near farm fields. He fixed his backpack properly on his back and proceeded to walk along the road, a broad grin plastered on his face. He had his red hood pulled over his face as he looked for the perfect place to test his theory. "Nightwing to Wally, where are you?" Wally fixed his backpack once more and grinned lopsidedly as his friend radio-d him. "I'm out testing something."<p>

"Wally…"

"What? I couldn't test it at home, Dick. Don't worry, if anything goes wrong, I've got the radio on."

"What are you doing exactly?" Wally came to a fork in the road and then a clear stretch of road. He gave a small laugh and pressed on his com-link once more. "Running."

"Wally? What the hell do you mean you're running? Wally!"

"I mean, I've come up with a theory and I'm testing it."

"Are you serious? No way, Wally, I've got a lock on your position. Remember when you said you couldn't watch me getting hurt by Megan? Well, I'm not about to stand by and watch you get hurt by yourself."

"Don't worry about it right now, I haven't done anything yet."

"Then don't! Stay right there!"

"Uh oh, there's sudden static! I can't hear youuuuu…!" Wally faded out his voice and started creating his own static noise as if it would fool his friend and let Dick yell on in his ear. He didn't want to turn it off in case something did happen, but his friend _was_ getting annoying. He rolled up his sleeve to reveal the IV needle still in his arm, the tube taped down against his skin the entire way up until his back, where he had it attached to the bag that hung inside his modified backpack. He had inserted a steel lining and a couple of hooks where three bags of strong painkillers hung, one already dripping into his tube hooked in his arm. "You better not do something stupid…" Wally heard Dick's voice. He was panting, so he was running to get somewhere. He knew he had about an hour if he took the bio-ship, twenty minutes if he used a transporter. "Plenty of time." He pulled his goggled over his eyes from under his hood and got into sprinting position, squinting his eyes and looking at the stretch of road ahead. "Okay, if this doesn't work, least I know help's on the way…and if it does, well, I've got explaining to do. No big deal. Right…three…two…one…" He took a false start and jogged it off, his nerves failing him miserably. He jogged on the spot for a good two minutes in his regular speed, breathing in and out deeply to try and shake off the nervousness. The pain was a good reminder that if this failed, even the strong meds would have no effect. "Okay…you can do this…it'll work…Dick's on his way. If anything goes wrong, Flash can come too. No, no, don't bother him, he's at work…man, why's it gotta be so hot today…?" He realized that talking to himself wasn't the healthiest thing to do and only put off his testing. "Okay…let's-"

"WALLY!" The speedster heard Dick's voice in his ear and behind him and he shot off like a bullet, breaking the sound barrier in three seconds flat. His hood yanked off his head and he kept on going as far as he could, slowing down a bit to enjoy the country scenery a bit. "Wally, you're crazy!"

"I haven't hit a wall yet, Dick! It's working!" He laughed a bit as he saw the city coming into view and at the drop of a hat; he doubled back, breathless with laughter. "It's working! I can't believe it!" He finally saw Dick coming into view and knew that it was almost time for the end of his experiment. He buckled down and hung onto the straps of his backpack and, like a bull, charged headfirst. It didn't faze the darkly clad superhero until he realized that Wally wasn't going to stop. "I'm calling Flash about this!" Dick yelled and suddenly the speedster's feet tripped under him and he was sent tumbling forwards, crashing into Nightwing's motorcycle and falling in a heap with it. Nightwing rushed over to his friend and picked his motorbike off him, Wally's face split two in a huge grin as he leaned back on his arms, breathless with excitement and strain. "Are you…not in pain…?"

"No way, man, that was amazing! I'm doing it again!"

"No, you're not. You're obviously doing something you're not supposed to."

"Duh, how else would I have-"

"Wally!"

"What! Now I can run without you having to worry about me on missions! I'll still keep my promise but this way, if I have to break it, it won't be with pain." He laughed again and combed his hand through his hair. Dick offered a hand to help him up and he took it gratefully, his legs wobbly under him but he wasn't in any pain. "So, you gonna tell me your secret?"

"No way, man, not if you're reporting to Flash." He replied, grinning like the devil as Dick kept a firm hold onto Wally's arm, in which he was glad because he was more than ready to drop to the ground. "What's…" Nightwing felt the tubing under his clothes and ripped his sleeve upwards, his eyes falling upon the needle inserted under his skin, pumping painkillers throughout his body still. Wally looked up at his friend with guilty eyes and offered him a smile. "Hey, it's something, right?"

"Is this what Flash had you hooked up to before!"  
>"Uh…yeah?" Nightwing ripped it out of his arm, Wally opening his mouth to complain but within minutes ended up leaning onto his friend for support, his legs had given up on him and innards in turmoil. "What the hell, man!" Wally felt his body collapsing even more onto his friend, who of course, made sure he didn't have some support at the very least. "I can't believe you…you'd risk everything to be on the team again…even your own life?" At this point in time, Wally's head had hung uselessly, his chin buried in his chest as he pushed his hand into his forehead to try and retain some vision. Nightwing replaced the needle under his arm and set him against the bike, allowing him to rest a while before the medicine began kicking in. "You're going to have to stop this. What if I didn't come? How far would you have run?" Wally looked up at his best friend with fatigued yet confident eyes and forced a weary chuckle. "To the ends of the earth, my friend." Nightwing gave him a sigh and looked over at the setting sun, collapsing in a heap beside his friend and pushing his shoulder into Wally's. "You gotta stop scaring me."<p>

"Pfft, like anything scares you except for bad hair days. And Batman."

"No, he doesn't scare me. Just pisses me off once in a while. I'm getting my own apartment soon. Care to join me in Gotham?"

"No way, man. Central's where it's at. Wouldn't imagine living anywhere else. Besides, why would I want to live somewhere without the Flash? Dude, he's the best superhero there is, you know. Just can't compare him to Batman's gloomy-ness."

"Whatever, man. Flash just runs."

"Are you crazy? He doesn't _just_ run, it's like saying how Batman _just _kicks and punches people around!"  
>"Yeah right! You're a madman. Should lock you up in Arkham for saying stuff like that." Dick laughed, nudging him in the ribs and earning a light groan of protest. "Right alongside you. Crazy for not thinking Flash is the best…" Wally muttered, rubbing his ribs as he nudged Nightwing in the ribs as well. "Hey, wanna grab a hoagie? Heard there's a good place nearby."<p>

"Man, I'm _starving._ I forgot how much energy I need to run…but you gotta ditch the getup. Where were you anyways to get here so fast? I thought you went back to Gotham?"

"Turns out I extended my stay here helping Flash with a few crimes last night. There's not much in comparison to Gotham."

"Ah ha, so you _were_ with Flash. Well? Was it awesome? Ahh, I remember those ruffians we used to take down together." Wally mused, earning a snort from Nightwing. "And that just means that Central's a lot less riddled with crime than Gotham. We're a happy city." He stressed, earning a hearty laugh from Nightwing. "Whatever, man. It was boring. I'm here another night."

"You can totally stay at my place! If you use the door…man, I have a door for a reason!" Wally exclaimed, finally able to get back at his friend. "Sure, let's just waltz in and out of Wally West's door. Artemis and Flash and Nightwing, why not? There's nothing to hide behind door number one except for an ex-superhero."

"Hey man, I'm no ex-superhero anymore! I found a way to bypass that!"

"By constantly feeding yourself meds so you feel no pain? Dude, you're going to collapse on the spot. Your brain will…you're a man of science, you figure it out!" Nightwing exclaimed, Wally brushing him off with a snub of his nose. "Don't be jealous now because there's a better superhero on the block. KF's back in business."

"Not quite. And it better not."

"Can't stop me." Wally grinned, Nightwing standing up and placing a hand on his hip, holding the other one out to his friend. "Let's go. By bike this time? I'm gonna get changed in civvies before I have to go back out tonight."

"Awesome! Hoagie time!" Wally cheered, taking Dick's hand and pulling himself up. Dick popped up his bench and threw him a spare red helmet, he quickly placing it on his head and pulling down his goggles around his neck. "Do I look badassed or what?"

"You're riding my bike, it's the bike that makes it." He hopped on and let Wally jump on behind him. The engine roared to life and they made a beeline back to the city, the rush of the wind through his hair reminding him of running. But it was still going at a slug's pace to the speedster.

**AN: Sitting at Tim Hortons writing this. Readers, don't type in a public area while you have to go to the bathroom—you can't leave your computer alone. Please R&R! I had fun with this chapter! They also seem to be getting longer. I have no control over that. I really don't. College has programmed me to write as much as possible. Good for you guys! :D  
><strong>


	6. Angels of the Night

Angels of the Night

Nightwing inhaled deeply before spreading his arms wide and allowing himself to fall forwards off a tall building, eyes closed and face almost too relaxed. It was almost as if he were back on the trapeze all those years ago. Allow the wind to rush past you and stay calm. Breathe. Flying in the air was second nature. He could almost hear the crowd cheering his name as his hands clenched shut around the imaginary trapeze bar in front of him. He wasn't in Gotham but it was an almost welcoming silence he could embrace and imagine himself elsewhere in another time.

"Aqualad to Nightwing, there's something going on with M'Gann." In one fluid movement, his grappler had been pulled out and he was swinging onto the safety of a ledge close by. The expected rush of adrenaline had awoken him up for the night and he was ready to tackle whatever problem headed his way. "What's going on?" He pressed his link and looked out in the distance to see a blur of red headed towards Wally's apartment, knowing instantly that Flash was going to check in on his nephew. "She has stopped responding to us and is floating in the middle of her cell."

"When did you lock her up?"

"When she blasted away BeastBoy into the ocean out of the blue. We believe she has established telepathic communication with someone because her eyes are glowing red." Nightwing sighed through his nose and looked up at the sky, a frown etched in his face. "Alright. Keep an eye on her. I promised Flash I'd help him here for the night while he checked up on Wally, but if you need me there…"

"No. We can handle it. I just needed to inform you in case something was to happen. Artemis and Red Arrow have both gone back to check on Mount Justice to see if there has been any changes."

"Okay. I'm starting to think we may need League help. There's no way we're involving the Titans in this."

"Why not? It has already become too late, Raven is watching over M'Gann. BeastBoy has been wounded because of her. It is hard to say, but she may be too much for us to handle on our own. The Titans should suffice to help and-"

"If we need help with Megan, then we'll call Martian Manhunter. Raven can keep an eye on her and subdue her only for a little while, but how long do you think that's going to work? Her telepathy isn't strong enough and sending her to another dimension is out of the question." Nightwing scanned the area as he spoke to Kaldur, watching Flash take to the streets once more to finish patrol. "Then we will have to subdue her through force."

"I don't like the idea, but if it has to be done, then it will be. We need to figure out what's going on with the mountain first. Wally and I came up with some theories, but they aren't concrete with the information we have now."

"So it is a matter of waiting on the three of them over at Mount Justice to report back…"

"Basically. Then we'll decide what to do. In the meantime, contact Martian Manhunter, as I have said, and inform him on the status of Megan. The next thing we need is Raven sailing into the ocean as well." Nightwing said, losing track of Flash. Kaldur remained silent for a while before sighing, "alright. You are right, there is no one better to ensure M'Gann is under control than her mentor."

"Thanks, Aqualad. I know I can count on you."

"The question is, Nightwing, can we count on you? You have become indecisive since you were forced to stop being Robin."

"I'm fine, Kaldur. It's just something I'll have to get used to." He replied, looking down at his hand and clenched it shut, the unfamiliar costume seeming to somehow suffocate him. "Just remember that it's the man who makes the costume, not the costume that makes the man." Dick gave an uneasy chuckle. Kaldur was someone who always spoke from the heart and with wisdom. Working with the king of Atlantis would give you that trait. And for this reason was why Dick would often look up to Kaldur for leadership advice, and he would willingly give it to him or guide him in the right direction. "Thanks, Aqualad."

"Do not mention it. It is what is best for the team." He spoke with confidence, Dick absorbing some of the confidence and squaring his shoulders as he looked at the horizon, seeing no trace of danger. "Aqualad out." Dick looked over at Wally's apartment and sighed through his nose. "Best for the team…" Wally _was_ part of the team. And the team needed his speed and brains. Sometimes, he hated being a leader and a friend. The priority system would be hard for anyone in this situation. What's best for my best friend, or what's best for the team? Dick ran his hand through his hair in annoyance, grabbing a fistful and giving a light squeeze before grappling onto another building, missing the dark figure looming behind him in the shadows, watching over him to ensure that he was safe.

Wally groaned as he turned in his sleep, Barry checking over his nephew and sighing through his nose. "He ran again?"

"Yup. Seems like it." Barry answered the deep voice, changing bags of painkillers and allowing a smile to cross his face. "You here to spy on Robin?" Barry knew full well that Dick had changed his mantle and was merely poking fun at the dark man sitting uncomfortably in a chair. "He goes by Nightwing now…I thought you'd at least know that…"

"Oh, right, sorry." Barry turned around to get a better look at Batman and saw that he had both hands drawn up close to his mouth in deep thought. "You're worried for him?"

"He can take care of himself."

"You know he's fine taking care of things as Nightwing. I've been watching over him for the past few nights like you wanted. Granted there's not half as much crime here as in Gotham, it's still good training grounds for him to get adjusted to his new role. Much better than taking on Gotham on his own. He's starting with the team he's familiar with too, so that's an added bonus." Batman remained quiet and stared at Flash's protégé laying fast asleep in bed. "He's got Wally too. Wally's enthusiasm to run is what's going to give Nightwing the edge. Keep him on his toes. Ensure that he's going to be a good leader. If he can work with Wally the way he is now, he'll definitely be able to work with a team."

"You're right." Barry flashed him one of his renowned smiles and gave a few nods. "You're that boy's adopted father. If you didn't worry about him, it'd be unnatural. You just pushed him from the nest and gave him new wings, Bats. And he's flying just fine." Batman could almost laugh at the metaphor. There was a reason why Flash was beloved by everyone in the community, and it wasn't because of his cool looks or super fast speed. Okay, the speed was part of it, but it was the way he went about being sincere and friendly with people. It was a welcomed comfort to the rich man. He got to his feet and approached Flash, grabbing hold of his shoulder and giving it a friendly squeeze. "Thanks, Barry."

"Whoa, someone pinch me, Batman's thanking me! Must be a dream!" Batman couldn't help but smile and then approach his window, preparing himself to take his leave. "The door…use the door, Dick…" Wally turned onto his belly and motioned weakly towards the door, his entire body facing the wall. Batman looked over at Wally and then Flash and smiled. "Kid's got a point. Might as well have a window for the door…"

"Not my style." Batman replied back in a low voice and took to the streets below, finding the nearest transporter. Flash sighed through a half smile and gently recovered the boy, approached the window, and resumed his work.

Wally followed Dick inside Titan tower and felt unease grow inside him. He shoved his hands inside the pockets of his red hoodie and pulled his hands as close together as he could, the straps of his backpack digging into his shoulders. He no longer needed the painkillers, but it had started to give him comfort knowing that he could be a superhero with them coursing through his veins at any given moment. "Kid? Aw, Kid Flash! No way!" Wally turned his head to the side to see a green elephant charging towards him. His initial reaction was to run but he wasn't hooked up to his meds and so instead froze—and good thing he did too. The green elephant changed last minute to a running BeastBoy who threw his arms around his favorite hero. "Dude! You've been gone for like, ever! I'll go get the others!"

"Uhh…I don't…think…"

"Raven! Cyborg! Starfire! Aqualad!" Beastboy ran through the halls shouting everyone's name, Wally looking over at Nightwing, who offered a small smile in reconciliation. "Wanna head to the computer room before everyone shows up?"

"Too late." He saw the Tamaranian soaring towards him from across the room and pulled her in towards her chest in a tight hug. "Kid Flash! Oh, it's so great to see you! How are you? M'Gann brings you here, doesn't she?"

"Starfire, babe! Yeah, got a mission. Can't help it if the team needs me." He hugged her back and earned a kiss on the forehead from her. "Well, look what the cat dragged in." Wally stiffened at the voice and looked to the side, seeing Raven appearing from the hallway the ground in a black swirl. "Uh…hey…Raven…hey, you were watching over Megan?"

"Yes, and I still am. This is just a projection of me, if you can't remember that I can do that."

"Oh…yeah, I did…" The sight of Raven made him uneasy. Their little fling together hadn't ended well and he suddenly remembered why he had managed to ultimately decide leaving the Titans. Raven opened her mouth to speak once more but suddenly dissolved, the floor beneath them caving in. Starfire immediately went and picked up Nightwing and Wally, floating in the air as the tower shook. "Guys, this is so not whelming…"

"What's going on?" Wally's eyes were wide with fear as he looked down to see M'Gann in her white martian form attacking Raven. Raven let out a yell and flew up to try and give herself more breathing room but ultimately ended up being pulled down with telepathy. "Raven! I must help." Starfire set down the two boys and flew down to help her friend in distress.

Wally and Dick exchanged worried glances before making their way down to the cell via the stairs. Wally prepped his arm in the event he would need his speed, but here he knew that there were enough heroes to stop the martian.

Or he hoped anyways.

If she were to go completely berserk like last time, he wasn't sure that he'd be able to idly stand by and watch it all go to hell. "I've got the fire this time. Don't you worry about it. See if you can talk to her if anything, she's been asking for you for a while."

"For…me…?"

"Yeah. Not sure why, but if it's going to take you to calm her down, then you should be there." Wally suddenly became uneasy as they reached the last floor and came across the wreckage. M'Gann was hovering over Raven, holding her up by her hood and ready to blast her. "Megan! Hey! What are you doing!" Wally shouted, earning the attention of the martian. She turned her head towards him and dropped Raven, earning a groan. Nightwing looked around for signs of Starfire and felt his gut drop when he saw her in a crater in the wall. "Wally, stay back…"

"I know, I know…" He swallowed the lump in his throat and began to approach her, making sure there was a good distance between them. "If she's going to blast me, though, she'll do it. No matter how far away I am, she'll get a good shot."

"Yeah, well it will at least make me feel better." He replied to Wally, pulling out his wing dings. Megan began approaching him and held her hand out to him, his feet leaving the floor. The red-haired man's eyes widened as he knew the risk he was taking was a big one. "How's it going?"

"Project Cadmus. Where is he?"

"I…don't know…"

"You read the information on the bio-ship. I am asking you nicely but I will probe you if I need to."

"What's she talking about?" Nightwing questioned his friend, earning a small grin from the uneasy speedster. "I may or may not have read up on information on the bio-ship while you were out…and I came across some stuff…"

"League uploaded information!"

"I don't know, it was there, I read it!"

"What the hell, Wally!"

"I didn't know! Jeez, sue a guy for trying to do his job!" He yelled, feeling his arms now constrict against his body. "You will tell me where they are holding Superboy."

"Wait, what? You don't already know?" Nightwing's eyes widened in amazement. They thought they had it all figured out until this…

"I don't know where he is! I just read that Dubbilex is running around free with some sort of specimen—oooooh…." Realization dawned on him and he realized that Dubbilex and Conner were both directly linked and more. "Specimen…Superboy…wait, that means the league knows about this…!" Wally shot a look over at Nightwing, who sported a dubious look on his face. However he knew it may or may not have been true. "M'Gann, who are you working for?" She remained silent at Dick's question. She _was_ working for someone, wasn't she?

"Who?"

"Luthor." More questions than answers. It was becoming obvious, but in its evident villain came the not so evident questions. Why was Megan against them if they were looking for Superboy too?

"Dubbilex is hiding Superboy…"

Wally concluded, his eyes widening in realization.

**AN: Hope you enjoyed it! I dunno why it was a bit tough to write this one…**


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